Come be part of the KATVA Team! 

Our club could not run without the generous help of our volunteers.  From fundraisers to club rides and social events, our volunteers help make KATVA the best ATV club in Ontario. It’s a great sense of accomplishment to get the job done, for sure, but it is also about making new friends, having a good time and introducing new members to the sport we all love. 

Why Volunteer with KATVA? Let us name just a few great reasons:

• Make new friends and expand your trail riding network
• Volunteer as a family activity, with your spouse or good friends
• Enjoy the great outdoors for exercise and fresh air
• Learn new skills or hone your current talents (we will provide training where necessary)
• Make a difference to our sport – promote and foster safety and environmental programs
• Preserve the sport for future generations, guide the future direction of KATVA and our trails
• Keep the cost of trail permits affordable
• Hours can count towards Community Involvement Hours for high school diploma

You’re never too young or too old to volunteer and you don’t need a special skill-set. We can provide training or partnering with duties, tasks or program management.  Maybe you even have a skill that we can use and learn from too.   

We have amazing volunteers and are always looking to add to our KATVA family. It’s a lot of work to keep the trails clear after a windstorm, organize our Annual Poker Run fundraiser, man an information booth at the Trade Shows, advocate with municipal councillors over road use or to keep all the club correspondence and records in tip-top form.

Get in touch! If you have any questions about upcoming opportunities or would like to get involved but aren’t sure where to start we would be happy to hear from you. Please contact us or call/text at 705-328-4482.

Volunteer Positions

1. Trail Maintenance

KATVA has a need for Trail Maintenance Coordinators and trail side volunteers. We have 5 main sections of trails to manage: 

• Victoria Rail Trail North (Fenelon Falls to Burnt River), 
• Victoria Rail Trail Central (north of Lindsay to south of Fenelon Falls), 
• Victoria Rail Trail South (Bethany to Logie St, Lindsay), 
• Somerville Forest Tract, and
• The Five Points.  

Coordinators keep a regular eye on their sections of trails and organize crews of volunteers to clear away problems of anything from downed trees to exposed culverts, encroaching vegetation or damaged signage and more.  Persons with a trade background, good hand/tool skills, problem solving skills or organizing & management skills are especially suited for this role. 

Hours required for this role can vary greatly and can be dependent on weather and other factors out of our control. As such, we strive to keep a large base group of volunteers but do not always require all volunteers at all times. Historically, for significant tasks such as the tornado touch-down in Kinmount in 2020, people far and wide reach out to volunteer their help.

2. Trail Patrol

Our Trail Patrol Team is the grass roots ambassadors and public relations officers for the club while out on the trails. They act in the best interest of our members, land owners, community at large and other trail users ensuring safety and trail compliance while providing a positive presence and offering assistance as needed.  

Our Trail Patrol Team has a lot of responsibilities and are invaluable to KATVA and all parties with an interest in the trails, as well as to our local police, OPP and SAVE Teams. Trail Patrol will:

• Sell passes and increases permit sales by building positive relationships with riders
• Assist riders and keep all trail users safe and educated
• Ensure compliance with our landowners, maintain trail privileges and reduce the risk of trail closures
• Report trail conditions to Trail Maintenance
• Address issues in high-visibility or problematic areas
• Enforce the Trespass to Property Act where required
• Reduce risk of rider safety infractions with OPP and By-law Enforcement Officers
• May accompany By-Law Enforcement Officers, or assist the OPP SAVE TEAM Unit

As Trail Patrol have so much responsibility, and are such an essential first point of contact, we require our Trail Patrol members to be trained (provided by KATVA) and we ask for a commitment of 2 days (5 hours each day) per month during our busier months. Patrollers are always scheduled in pairs, and the schedule goes out a month in advance. Someone with strong communication and problem solving skills or has safety and security experience is well suited for this role. 

3. Ride Team

Our Club-led Rides are a favourite amongst our membership and volunteers alike. Ride Team Volunteers may be the most visible volunteer role to our members, and as such they must represent KATVA values to a 10! Ride Leaders, Middlemen and Sweeps are required for each ride we organize. This is a great opportunity for a family activity or good friends to volunteer together. Ride Teams are expected to know the trails exceptionally well and possess at least an intermediate rider skill-set to ensure a safe, fun and timely ride experience for our members. 

We hold rides geared for all levels of riders from beginner to advanced. Teams may set their own dates, routes and times as well as rider level expectations.  Additionally, they decide when and where to meet, hold pre-ride meetings and occasionally sell passes for our club.  

Anyone who likes to meet new people, has good organizing, management and leadership skills and may have limited days to commit to volunteering will enjoy this role.

4. Event Management

Event management can be both a blast and hard work all at once while being very rewarding for our members, our communities and our volunteers. Since 2017 KATVA, all on the backbone of our volunteers, has raised over $30,000 to donate to the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay. Other events include BBQs and potlucks, volunteer-appreciation dinners and more. Event management volunteers will also assist other volunteers and committees as necessary. In addition to member-favourite events we have hosted in the past, we are always looking for new event ideas.

If you enjoy planning and organizing, decorating and hosting, reaching out to our communities or being creative in any way, you’ll enjoy working with our event management volunteer team. Commit to one event or many, based on your schedule and energy.

5. Board of Directors

Board of Directors are representatives of KATVA both internally to our members and externally to our communities, business and government leaders and to members of the general public.  While these positions may carry certain privileges with respect to club management, the elected volunteers in these roles also bear the burden of club administration including governance, financial management, brand and marketing management, membership recruitment, retention and discipline, oversight of bylaw and legislated controls, industry connectivity, record keeping, and more. These roles are not for the faint of heart but can be very rewarding in their own right. 

Board of Director and Executive Committee members all have a responsibility to ensure the Board is effective in getting the work done to the best of its abilities to lobby on important key issues for its members, promote safety and advocate for the continuation of our sport, collaborate with other groups and trail users, sustain and expand trails, hold successful events and to educate and inform all persons whether they are KATVA members or otherwise.

These roles require members who are committed to advocating and growing KATVA and our sport. Persons with strong communication skills and a willingness to contribute to club mandated goals are ideally suited to this role. Executive and Directorship roles are for not less than one year. All elected members are expected to be proactive in their respective roles and be able to commit at least 10-12 hours per month to attend meetings and important functions.